Elizabethton honors homegrown hero Witten

John Thompson, NET News Service
•
Jun 22, 2013 at 3:52 PM

ELIZABETHTON — “What a year he has had,” master of ceremonies Dale Fair said Friday afternoon about Jason Witten.

Fair was not referring to Witten’s accomplishments on the football field as a tight end for the Dallas Cowboys, even though those accomplishments were extraordinary for someone coming back from a lacerated spleen.

Fair was talking about the awards Witten earned with his tender heart rather than his sure hands. Speaking from the main stage of the 47th annual Covered Bridge Celebration, Fair said Witten became the first man in history to receive both the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award and the Bart Starr Award in the same year.

On Friday, Witten was given yet another honor this year. This one was granted to him by those who have known him the longest. His hometown celebrated Friday as “Jason Witten Day.”